


Benjamin

by 263Adder



Category: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 09:04:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11460399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/263Adder/pseuds/263Adder
Summary: Dorcas talks to Benjamin on one of those boring winter days.





	Benjamin

**Author's Note:**

> Title is actually named for the song by James Taylor. I'd originally planned to just write about the girls and the song fit the tone. Then it ended up being about Dorcas/Benjamin and I still like the song so...that's it :P
> 
> I think they're my favourite pair. Though I love them all. People find it so weird that this is my favourite musical but I love it so much!

It was yet another cold morning when Dorcas chanced leaning out the window to survey the yard. The other girls were scattered around the house or helping Milly with the chickens, leaving Dorcas in the boy's room alone.

Every single one of them girls spent most of her day trying to furtively look out for her -- for one of the brothers. Yet they all stayed in that ridiculous state of propriety were they all scolded one another for 'ashamedly pining' if they so much as looked at one of the Pontipee's for a moment too long. Honestly, they all did it so why they pretended otherwise was beyond her.

Glancing around she watched Caleb walk into the barn, soon leaving the yard empty except for piles of that dreadful snow.

She nearly withdrew, disappointed that he wasn't there, when suddenly she snatched another glimpse of that vivid copper hair. She shouldn't get her hopes up, it was probably one of the others. And yet...

Dorcas leaned even further out of the window, resting her arm on the snowy ledge so she could settle her head in her palm to comfortably survey him.

Benjamin strode into the yard, pulling a sled laden with firewood for the house with some furs over his shoulder. He pulled it near to the door before tugging off his gloves, grabbing the furs to hang up.

Biting her bottom lip Dorcas straightened again. He'd probably just leave the wood on the porch and pass Milly the furs then disappear to do some other chore, maybe on the other side of the farm. It would be a waste not to - "Benjamin!" She called down, cutting off her own deliberations. Dorcas quickly started to laugh as he looked around before thinking to look up.

"Good morning, Dorcas." He called back, sounding flustered.

"How's your leg?" Dorcas asked slyly.

"Huh? Oh." Benjamin said quickly, quickly rubbing his left leg. "Still a little sore, but better."

"Benjamin?"

"Yes, Dorcas?"

"Yesterday it was your right leg that was poorly."

His hand quickly switched legs. "Oh. Well - they _both_ hurt."

"Uh huh." She said, lips pursed before her face broke into a beaming smile. "Would you like help carrying the firewood into the house? We could use some inside now it's getting so cold."

"I couldn't let a little thing like you carry all of this." Benjamin replied, imagining Milly's reaction if she caught him letting Dorcas heft the logs into the house.

Dorcas stood proudly straight. "I'm not so little. Besides, you can help. Just stay there, I'll come right down."

"It's cold out here, Dorcas."

"Milly gave us all coats to wear. Anyhow, if I stay in this house a minute longer I'll go stir crazy!" She exclaimed, before spinning away from the window to snatch her coat. She was wrapped up and out the front door within a minute, so desperate was she to get out in the fresh air. Dorcas didn't even pause to take in Sarah's disapproving face - honestly, she was exactly the same whenever Frank came by, although maybe not quite as forthright. Still, it wasn't as though they were in town.

Benjamin was stood stock still next to his sled, still looking taken aback by the whole encounter.

"So we'll put most of what you cut on the porch and the rest inside, alright?" Dorcas gently prodded after a moment's silence.

"Right you are." Benjamin said, quickly scooping up as many logs as he could before carrying them up the front steps. He'd managed to pick up at least half a dozen. When Dorcas tried she could only managed two and a small one, losing her balance if she tried to carry anymore than that.

"Careful, Dorcas." He told her, snatching out to grab her arm as she wobbled on the first step back up.

"Oh." She laughed. "My Pa usually does this, can you tell?"

"No," Benjamin grinned back. "You must be a natural."

Even though she knew it was a lie it was a sweet one at that. She moved as swiftly as she could up the slippery steps, placing the logs by the door in as neat a pile as she could manage with her gloves on. "Am I stacking them alright?"

Benjamin looked at the lopsided pile that he would undoubtedly have to rearrange once Dorcas went back inside. "Looks perfect to me." He answered as he lugged up another armful of logs, keeping a watchful eye on Dorcas as she made her way up and down the stairs.

"Does it always get this cold up here?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And it doesn't bother you?" Dorcas continued, huffing as she made her way back down the steps again.

"I've been living here my whole life, I'm used to it."

"When did your parents move out here?"

"A year or two before Adam was born. They took up an offer to settle so they could have their own farm."

"They've always farmed?"

"Sure, far back as Pontipee's go." Benjamin said, offering her a hand as she wobbled on the third step.

"I'm fine, thank you." Dorcas smiled. She was half aware that if it were only him the job would probably have been done by now. "I think my Great-Grandparents worked on a farm, but my Grandpa worked on a ship. And my Pa trained as a blacksmith. And my Uncle's in the army."

"A lot more adventurous than my family then."

"Oh, I think it's brave to farm out here. It's not exactly easy." Even in town she knew how hard living in Oregon was, but out on the hills - well, being trapped inside all the time was getting to be dull, but she knew it was better to be stuck in the house than to be out toiling on the farm.

It was Benjamin's time to smile. "You really think so?"

"Of course." There were only half a dozen logs to move. She scooped up two of them and started on the stairs.

Behind her Benjamin's smile continued to grow until it suddenly fell.

"I'm sorry Dorcas."

Dorcas turned midway on the stair, slipping slightly until Benjamin caught her waist. "You're not much used to walking on ice or in snow this deep, are you?"

"No."

"Are you alright?"

"Fine, thank you."

"Good."

Dorcas' face flushed and it had nothing to do with the cold, but rather the strong arm still wrapped around her. She looked down, Benjamin following her eyes.

"Oh."

She grabbed hold of his arm, keeping it there. "You said you're sorry?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"For taking me here?"

"Well, yes. Of course. I'm terribly sorry for that. I can't help thinking about your Ma and Pa at home worried for you." Dorcas couldn't help thinking about that too, no matter how much fun she had with the girls, or how much she enjoyed getting to see Benjamin every day. "We got so caught up in the idea, I didn't stop to think. I shouldn't have let it happen, and, and...well, I'm sorry.

"And I'm sorry you're trapped up in that house too. I'd try to take you outside more often, but Milly says it's not proper for us to go out alone." Benjamin pulled back and went to grab the last few logs. Dorcas waited until he was back beside her on the step to answer.

Dorcas smiled. "I'd still like to anyway."

"You would?"

"Maybe not too far though. I can hardly manage the yard and you clear that every morning." She said with a laugh.

"We could go sledding?"

"I'd like that."

"Alright, I'll try to finish my chores early tomorrow so we can go before it gets dark."

Dorcas put the logs on the pile, Benjamin letting her go first, before they turned and went back down the steps, still beaming.

"You know, it does funny things to me when you smile that that."

"What sort of funny things?"

Benjamin flushed. "The kind that makes me know I'm in love."

His pink cheeks clashed terribly with his hair, but Dorcas decided she quite liked the look and wanted to keep it a little longer. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything?"

"Which bed in the room upstairs was yours?"

Benjamin, unlike the girls, didn't think about the inappropriateness of the question at all. Dorcas liked that about him. "The one besides the door, on the left."

"That's where I sleep too." She bounded forward and pressed a kiss to his warm cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, unless you come by the house for more liniment." Dorcas said shrewdly.

Benjamin rubbed the back of his neck like a little boy caught playing where he shouldn't. "I think our plan would've worked better if we'd spaced it out over a few nights."

"Probably."

"Sorry again Dorcas."

"I know you are Benjamin."

He turned to walk to the barn when his name stopped him.

"Benjamin? What're we going to do when the pass clears?"

He glanced back. "I don't know Dorcas. But we'll figure it out."

**Author's Note:**

> Kind comments are always appreciated. I hope you enjoyed this! And thank you to all the other SBFSB writers, I was in complete disbelief when I found out there were actually fanfictions for this film - and I just knew I had to contribute!


End file.
